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House passes measure to avoid government shutdown

House Republicans on Thursday evening narrowly passed a stopgap measure to avoid a government shutdown, one day before the deadline.

GOP leaders’ struggle to clinch the 231-188 vote demonstrated how, despite being fresh off their tax-overhaul victory, House Republicans remain bitterly divided when it comes to spending legislation.

With House Democrats refusing to supply votes to help pass the spending bill, Republicans were left to pull together the votes among themselves.

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Current government funding runs out after Friday. The short-term spending patch, which keeps federal agencies funded through Jan. 19, now heads to the Senate, where it’s not clear yet whether Democrats will vote to break a filibuster.

The continuing resolution also includes funding through March for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a short-term extension of the government’s foreign surveillance powers, some spending “anomalies” for defense and a waiver for pay-as-you-go budgetary rules so the GOP tax bill doesn’t trigger automatic cuts to Medicare.

But the continuing resolution leaves some of the most contentious decisions unresolved, kicking debate over issues like immigration and ObamaCare to next year.

The tax overhaul passed this week is the GOP’s biggest legislative accomplishment to date since taking across-the-board control of Washington this year, but public polling shows it is broadly unpopular due to perceptions that it primarily benefits corporations and the wealthy.

“House Democrats want a SHUTDOWN for the holidays in order to distract from the very popular, just passed, Tax Cuts. House Republicans, don’t let this happen. Pass the C.R. TODAY and keep our Government OPEN!” Trump tweeted Thursday.

House GOP leaders pushed a similar message to dissuade their rank-and-file from risking a damaging shutdown.

Democrats are also pushing to get a permanent fix in January for young immigrants in the U.S. illegally. The Trump administration is phasing out the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provided temporary work permits for qualifying young immigrants.

Republicans are seeking border security measures in exchange for enacting protections for the young immigrants who identify as “Dreamers.”

McConnell said Thursday that if negotiators can reach an immigration deal in January, he will bring it up for a vote.

House lawmakers voted 251-169 to pass a separate $81 billion disaster aid package that members of the Texas and Florida delegations insisted be approved this year, though it’s unclear if the Senate will be able to take it up before lawmakers skip town.

The massive package provides aid for communities affected by recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as wildfires in California.

But some conservatives balked at spending $81 billion without offsets, while House Democratic leaders had pushed against the relief package because they said it didn't go far enough.